Reflect

A few weeks ago, my dad asked me what my biggest takeaways were from my past 2 years working at my elementary school. I've learned so much - it's really hard to put into words (& barely captured in this post) - but here's an attempt, a glimpse:

I'm a master detector of if kids truly need to use the bathroom, or are just bored.
I can catch the general mood of a room because of all the faculty meetings I've attended.
I know how to use data & target specific skills for struggling kids (now if only the day had more hours!)
I know that kids mostly need a drink of water when not feeling well...
OR I can just sing sana, sana, colita de rana as healing powers (thanks mom).
I've realized turning in paperwork on time can make all the difference in how you're viewed as an employee.

Mostly, I've learned what makes a great leader.

A great leader seeks to build relationships with anyone they interact, & makes those interactions meaningful.
A great leader mediates relationships amongst employees to build an upbeat & welcoming work culture.
Their interactions are always positive at the beginning, & then when the proper relationship is formed, feedback on employee performance is more effective & wanted.

I can't believe my ride with Teach For America is coming to a close - this experience, this journey, is NOT what I thought I signed up for - but has been even greater than I could have ever imagined. Teaching has taught me to feel each extreme of emotions:

Joy
         Terror
Hope
                       Excitement
   Nervousness
                             Despair
Optimism
                  Love

When I started this blog, I felt like an alien transported into some strange place: a classroom filled with far too many children. Now, I cannot imagine my life without those kids & these experiences.

Below are a handful of pictures from this journey. What a life-changing ride this has truly been.

That time I got a J-O-B!

My lunchbox from Institute at Rice University - I do NOT miss
those early mornings!

The wonderful, wonderful, wonderful group of teachers I spent
my time with in Houston. 

After a stressful, jam-packed month, a road trip to Colorado was just
what I needed :)

Passed my language tests needed to teach bilingual elementary in FWISD

The first time I saw my school :)

Lots of doodling took place during professional development - sorry, it's how
I best concentrate!!! 

George W. Bush invited us over for dinner.

I got to see my classroom for the first time on my 22nd birthday

My first group of kiddos, forever in my heart

First apple

What motivated me when times got tough

Lots of professional development courtesy of Teach For America

Field trip to Austin

Powerful words from my kids

Got to hear from the previous Spanish PM and Mexican President

Wrote a 30-something page reflection on my first year of teaching - and am
now finally certified to teach in Texas! Thanks TNTP.

Visited the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia

Took a 2-day field trip to Sea World San Antonio

Ended the school-year visiting my alma mater with the kids.

Attended the end-of-the-year Teach For America celebration with fellow Sims teachers - couldn't
have done it without you both!

Visited Colorado AGAIN to unwind.

Year 2 began, same school, bigger vision.

New & smaller kiddos

Spent time as the running coach & ran the Cowtown 5k with the school

Received more [special] notes

Birthday parties happened

Coached softball, & despite having no experience with the sport, had SO much fun!

focus

Focus is an art.

Living in the moment is an art.

I've been struggling to do these two things this year, as I constantly have millions of thoughts running through my head.

This past week, I've had two moments in which I felt super "in-tune" (if you will) with what was happening: first, spending a wonderful evening with even better friends. Second, attending one of my  favorite singer's concert.

I'm not sure what made these instances so special, but figuring out how to transfer that energy to all moments has been my most recent challenge - particularly in the classroom. I know that my class deserves that - plus, it makes my days run a bit smoother!

softball

I don't think I've ever before held a bat. I'm pretty terrible at throwing balls. So naturally, when the opportunity presents itself to coach the girls softball team at my school, I volunteer.

Naturally.

I'm most excited to work with my girls from last year, girls who really hold a special place in my heart.

I've also YouTubed, Wikipedia-ed & Googled the sport, but I'm pretty sure the real learning takes place on the field. Can't wait for practices to start this week??!

Side note, spring break came at a perfect time, per usual. I've had time to breathe mentally from the daily grind. I took the day today to clean out my teacher bag, & got a few smiles out of some treasures I found:

81 days left of this school year...HOME STRETCH IS NEAR!

clean slate

"Ms. Castro, me puede llamar Sebastian en vez de Juan*?"

"Umm...claro que sí."

At the beginning of the school year, one of my 6-year-old students decided to change his name a few months into 1st grade. I went with it, as did the rest of the class, & learning went on, normal as usual.

The confusing & comical moment in which he asked me for permission to do so always replays in my head. This child made it so easy to change something so important in his life - his name - & everyone was so accepting of it.

I wonder what life would be like if all changes were this easy to make.

By the way, I want to be called Queen B now...


*Names have been changed.

gymnastics

Gymnastics molded me into the person I am today. The following video pretty much sums up my experiences with the sport:

As I joined Teach For America, I came to the realization that gymnastics had impacted my character more than my time as a student in my K-12 classrooms. Time management, discipline, perseverance, resilience, hard work...all of these skills came from a sport still dear to my heart.

I've also come to the realization that sports are a luxury - a luxury most kids at a Title 1 schools don't have the opportunity in which to partake. I often wonder how their lives would be transformed if they had a "gymnastics."

This year, a few teachers decided to bring soccer, cheerleading & football to our elementary school. These sports, along with the running club, have impacted school spirit tremendously, & it's been incredible to see the little transformations here & there within the school community.

As the culminating event for running club,  I ran The Cowtown 5k with about 30+ students & parents - it was AWESOME. We ran united throughout the heart of Fort Worth, surrounded by the cowtown community - police officers, organizations, businesses, family & friends.

Five months of running club isn't quite comparable to my 10 years flipping across the floor, flying through the air, swinging around bars, balancing on a 4-inch beam...

BUT

I truly hope one of our runners got a glimpse of what I experienced with my gymnastics.

love

My first graders are the most loving people I've ever met. They greet each other at the door in the mornings, applaud each other when questions are answered correctly, smile incessantly...I could go on & on!

During rough days (typically Mondays) I like to keep track of the things they do that really make me smile.

Today included:

• "Can I stay in first grade next year? So you can be my teacher again?"
• 25 hugs received throughout the day
• "Ms. Castro, I don't ever want to lose you."

They have a way of articulating love that is unmatched by adults.

Despite the fact these cutesy actions/words are from 6 & 7-year-olds, they never fail to make my start to the week a little bit better.

"Princess Machine"

Loved the message from this GoldieBlox commercial, considering fewer than 3 in 10 graduates in science, technology, engineering & mathematics are women (UPWORTHY). Food for thought.

Princess Machine

college repeat

"What are your plans after you finish Teach For America?"

I feel like college graduation is slowly approaching. Again. & again, the question is consistently asked, slightly altered from two years before.

For the most part, my corp members & I dread the question. It feels weird, to not know what the next part of your life will look like.

Many of us recently attended a job fair in order to learn about other jobs within the metroplex - jobs that fight educational inequality, yet remove us from classrooms.

"You're a certified bilingual teacher? Wow. You know, these districts really need you." - Comment from a man discussing his company at job fair.

Did he really tell me I need to stay in the classroom, instead of considering working for his organization?

I'm lucky to have so many options & opportunities.

"the function of education"

During independent practice of a math lesson earlier this week, a student asked me, "why do I need to learn this?" [We were learning how addition & subtraction were related to each other (fact families), & practicing how to find all number sentences given 3 related numbers.]

After explaining why knowing how to use addition & subtraction, he smiled & said "OK." Quickly, he went back to work, while I thought about what had just happened.

A big part of teaching content is explaining why the learning is important. How will these kids use this knowledge in the future? My class is motivated to learn, but I know they would work even harder if I made more of an effort to set purpose during lessons.

Teaching is not just about content mastery. This MLK quote captures what it's all about. As this semester has come to a close, I'll take the winter break reflect upon how to teach the "whole" child.

ICEpocolypse

ICEpocolypse canceled school this past Friday, December 6th, & I believe teachers were more thrilled than students…I know I was! After prepping for an uber important observation Thursday (which ended up being canceled at around 12:30 a.m. Thursday), as well as other usual teacher tasks, I mentally needed a day off!

@emirolla

My days in ICEolation have meant lots of Netflix (Scandal + House of Cards) / cleaning / catching up on school work. NOTHING is open because the icy roads make driving nearly impossible. DFW just doesn't have the materials to handle this type of weather. & while ICEmaggedon has provided a nice vacation from real life, I'm hoping the roads will be better for school tomorrow…assuming we actually have school tomorrow. Roads are still VERY bad.

@j_jimenez

Each workday I venture towards east Berry to get to work. I see a drastic change along the drive from my TCU neighborhood to Stop Six. Besides the difference in infrastructure, I see a lot of people outside, walking. Less cars, more people walking to school, work…more homelessness.

On my mind are my students in/near stop 6. I hope their houses are warm enough, that they have enough blankets to stay covered, that their parents were not called into work during this awful weather, & that their food supply has been big enough. I hope school is not canceled tomorrow, because school might be more cozy than home to these kids during this time. Fingers crossed DFW can take care of the ice today.

bunny ears

"Teacher, can you tie my shoes?"

Everything that comes out of my students' mouth is a reminder of the special age in which they are. So dependent, so innocent, so honest...I absolutely adore it.

I remember when I learned how to tie my shoes. My older cousin was given the task to teach me & taught me the bunny ears way - make two bunny ears, loop them around each other & voila, problem solved! Since then, this method has been the sole way in which I tie my shoes. Such a tiny moment from my youth is part of my almost everyday routine. Insane.

I marvel at the fact that I have the same opportunity to impact so many tiny lives. These reflections make me realize how wonderful my job truly is.

Overcoming weaknesses

Sucky October happend around this time last year. Looking back, I don't think I've ever been as stressed, tired & miserable as I was then. I worked harder than ever to seemingly fail everyday - which takes a toll on you both mentally & physically.

This October is like a breath of fresh air in comparison - mostly because of an acquired skill developed all throughout last year. I'm now able to collaborate with a network of people (sounds silly, but it's a skill to me!!!)

As a college student, I hated group projects. I preferred working by myself. I kept up this mentality when it came to planning. I placed myself on my own island last year. I didn't lesson plan with others, share resources, etc...mostly because I didn't think I knew what I was doing. Little did I know this wasn't just affecting my health & happiness - it spilled over to the kind of education my kids received.

This year, I am in charge of everything math-related, while other members of my 1st grade team take care of literacy, writing, science, social studies, literacy centers, homework, parental outreach...everyone has their place, & I've never been prouder to be part of such a great crew! They are amazing. We meet 1-2 times a week to work, bouncing ideas off of one another. I am surviving this year because of them.

Advice to anyone in over your head as a 1st year teacher: ask for help from your fellow peers! You will be in such a better place because of it.

Silence

Selective mutism. I've never heard of this label before, until this year.

One of my students is labeled selectively mute. She did not speak one word day 1 of school. Nor day 2. The whole first week, actually, was pretty silent.

The silence was frustrating. I was frustrated. Seeking to understand, I reached out to friends, roommates and mentors. What is this label all about? How am I supposed to help this student? How can they be most successful? Turns out, my frustration = my investment.

Today, she spoke, in a complete sentence, in front of the whole class ツ

Baby steps.

First Grade Life

Week 1, year two, of teaching is in the books.

I don't remember week 1 as a first year teacher, although I do have recall performing under pure adrenaline, minimal sleep & a lot of caffeine. This week was so much different.

It was so much BETTER.

I felt prepared. Although the consistency of adrenaline, sleep & caffeine were reminiscent of the year prior, the fear of the unknown lingered less. Even though I'm instructing in a different content area, my 1 year experience as a teacher made all the difference.

I have 26 students in my homeroom - two of which do not speak Spanish. I'm hoping that my classroom size decreases within the next few weeks as student distribution will be leveled. We shall see!

First graders are funny...& they even think I'm funny (finally, someone laughs at my jokes). I'm still learning how to manage small children, but I'm really excited for what this year will bring.

A horned frog pillow - doesn't it just scream Reading Corner?!

The classroom, pre-setup

Final product!

So proud of my storage seats!

A wonderful 1st day gift from a team member!

I ended up separating the tables Thursday. 6 kids at 1 table=too much!